Zutara 100
by my-memoriez-astira
Summary: The Zutara 100 challenge, as brought to you by meh. It's not in order, so don't bother complaining about it. Be wary of slight character/ship bashing. Mainly Post-comet, spoilers for entire series possible.
1. 47: Music

47.- Music

"Winter, spring…. Summer and fall…" The cups clicked as Zuko stacked them inside each other. The stacks of three made a lovely ceramic forest on the wooden tray he was carrying, "Four seasons… four loves… four seasons… four loves…"

"That was beautiful." The fire lord jumped in surprise. How long had Katara been standing there? He blushed furiously and turned on his heels to hurry to the back of the tea shop, "Zuko! Wait! Can't you take a compliment?"

"It's just a stupid little song Uncle sings." He grunted flatly. Katara caught up with him at the counter that divided the dining from the kitchen. She was smiling very sweetly, hands behind her back. She brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. Gods, she was so beautiful up-close, it was such a tease, "He's got a bunch of dumb songs like that."

She leaned in closer, "Do you know anymore?"

"Er…" he fumbled with the cups, putting them in the sink. Katara bended some water into the basin, catching Zuko off-guard, "W-well…"

He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes down at the soapy dishes, "It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city they look so pretty…. They kiss so sweet and I'd really like to meet… the girls from Ba Sing… Se…" His voice trailed off, the blush in his cheeks spiking the sink water's temperature. Beneath his breath, he whispered, "Though water tribe girls are nice as well.."

"What?"

"N-nothing!" He exclaimed, rushing the dishes onto the drying rack. Katara giggled and wrapped an arm around his waist, "Katara!"

"One more, do you know one more song?" She started to drag him upstairs, to the balcony. The watertribe girl enjoyed watching the sunset, so it made sense she'd want to watch while he sang.

"Ah, I do know one more… but I don't know.." Katara's 'please?' face was undeniable. No one said no to it, except for Toph… for obvious reasons.

_Leaves from the vine… falling so slow, like tiny frazzled shells drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy comes marching home… brave young soldier boy… comes marching home._

"Wow…" Katara said softly.

"It's the song that Uncle sings for his son, Lu Ten. He died during the siege of Ba Sing Se. It's the most tragic death in our family." Zuko felt Katara hugging his arm again. Tears were running down her face onto his arm, increasing in speed as they sat in the silence. Katara knew, first hand, how painful it was to lose someone. He pulled her into his chest, where she burst into tears. He'd never seen her like this before, her usual response to these things were occasional tears and maybe an angry outburst. Now that he thought about it, when was the last time she'd even talked about her mother? Did Aang ever talk to her, try to comfort her? "Katara…"

"I hate it!" She coughed, "I hate his 'forgive and forget' attitude! He just doesn't understand how hard this is for me!"

Zuko held her tight, the front of his shirt drenched. Even with the uncomfortable feeling of tear-soaked cotton against his chest, he wouldn't let her go. Resting his chin on her head, he hummed a lullaby, something dredged up from his memories of his own mother. He stroked her hair gently; lowering them to the floor of the balcony as Katara's legs slowly gave way beneath her. She'd seen war, death, looked fear in the eyes and threatened it, but she was still just a child. A girl who need to be loved.

And Zuko loved her, he adored her, wanted nothing more than to be by her side at these times and in her happier moments…

"Leaves from the vines…"

_END: Music_


	2. 22: Hands

22.- hands

A waterbender's hands are soft, gentle, but also strong and firm… very much like the water they bend and control. A firebender's hands, though, were rough. They did not caress like water, did not hold steady like rock, did not lift you up like air. Zuko's hands, in particular, were calloused by blood and deceit. He couldn't stand to look at them sometimes, especially when he served tea. Those delicate teacups that his uncle loved so much, held by his hands; it was akin to blasphemy as he saw it. His hands shook when he served tea and not from the heavy stares from the girls at his table. Those hands knew these tender cups were too precious for them, misplaced in his care.

Looking across the dining hall, he could see Katara. She loved coming down to Ba Sing Se and helping out in the Jasmine Dragon. Now those were hands meant to tend to those cups. They were so gentle. He could imagine them on his face, that time in the cave; he knew how soft and loving they could be… and in the same thought, knew how strong and brutal they could quickly become. However, Katara had control and her element was nurturing and able to heal. Fire only took and destroyed…

He wanted to feel her hands on him again and not just on his face. He wanted to know what they felt like on his neck, shoulders, chest…

He remembered not too long ago, feeling those hands grip his sleeves, begging him not to go. Her body close to his, water and fire as one. She'd been crying about her mother, a topic he hadn't heard about since before the defeat of his father. It made him wonder. How many times had tears been forced to grace those hands? Sure, Aang was the Avatar and had all this worldly knnowledge, but he couldn't understand Katara's pain. He'd said it himself that he'd forgiven the many fire nation soldier who virtually wiped everyone he knew off the face of the planet (not in all those words, but still), but the one man that hurt Katara the most was still alive, still punishable.

Zuko was certain that somewhere inside her, she still wanted revenge, but could never do it. Her hands were never meant to be soiled in that fashion.

Before long, it was night. Sokka and Aang helped Iroh close up the shop. Toph and Mai took trash out while Suki and Katara washed dishes. Zuko excused himself to the apartments above the shop to rest. Almost a year had past since Azula shot him full of lightning and he almost didn't redirect it. He could sometimes still feel the sparks dancing dangerously through his body. Iroh had suggested requesting a healer from the Northern Water Tribe, but the stubborn Fire Lord never got around to it.

Undressing slowly, Zuko watched the star burst scar reveal itself on his abdomen. The acursed thing was yet another disappointment manifesting itself on him. Touching both scars, he realized that if he'd only kept quite, he wouldn't have either. Then again, if he'd kept quite, then he wouldn't have discovered his true destiny, nor would he have become a hero to the world.

And he would've never gotten to know Katara.

"Zuko?" The fire lord jumped. How long had Katara been standing there?! This was slowly becoming a recurring event. He pulled his shirt back on and turned to face her. She was leaning in the door jamb, rubbing her hands to equalize the water in them and keep them from pruning. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, then looped up over her head, probably too keep it from falling in the sink water, "Mai was telling me that you were still suffering from the aftershocks of Azula's lightning."

"Did she?" Zuko cringed and moved over towards his bed. Katara was not far behind, plopping down beside him.

"Yeah, would you like me to take a look?"

Zuko's mind dropped down into a nether region. Before he could say anything lewd, he moved his shirt aside slightly so she could look at it. She pulled the top open, much to his surprise, and laid him back on the matress. His cheeks burned furiously as she looked away to open the waterskin she'd brought up. The water was definitely cooling, more so than usual, "Katara…"

"The others and I took a trip back up to the Northern Watertribe before coming down. This is Spirit Oasis water, the kind I used on Aang after Azula shot him."

Katara's hands were just as gentle as he had dreamed. They were comforting, motherly, things he had missed when his own mother was banished. His eyelids lowered slowly, his expression almost seductive as he looked up at her. He put his hand to her face, not quite sure how to take her gasp. She let it stay there, leaning into it, putting her face to it and inhaling deeply. Everything about her was so controlled, so smooth and fluent. What could someone so even like her think of a man so jaded and edged like him?

"Your hands.." Katara started softly, "They're so soft…"

_END: Hands_


	3. 31: Jewelry

31.- Jewelry

(A/N: I've realized that a lot of these drabbles are coming from Zuko's POV. Not that I'm complaining, just noticing.)

If he'd known just how hard it'd be to sneak this around Mai, then he might not have done it in the first place. No, that was a lie. For Katara, Zuko would do anything, including facing the wrath of his soon to be ex-fiancee. The fire lord wasn't too familiar with Water Nation traditions, but he'd hopefully studied enough to do this right.

His cloak fluttered slightly in the wind, but he still held it close. If a guard was to see him, they'd haul him back to his bedroom 'for his own safety'. So long as he looked like another person wandering the courtyard, with other servants and civilians, then they'd leave him be.

The little necklace felt smooth in his hand, but he wasn't too sure. Zuko had been working on the betrothal necklace for at least a month now. There was a certain finesse that came with carving the little pendants with waterbending that firebending or even traditional carving could not replicate. The most dedicated and educated craftsmen couldn't replicate the smooth elegance of a Water Nation betrothal necklace.

Just a little further now, the moon was getting overshadowed by towers more frequently now. It wouldn't be long before he reached the bridge they'd agreed on meeting at. His heart was racing, the beat thick in his throat. His legs were just below running, he wouldn't risk the noise. Then, before him was the cloaked figure of the woman he'd fallen head over heels for, "Katara."

Katara turned to face him, but not all the way. Her profile was elegant, but somehow, sad. Zuko rolled the pendant around in his hand for a moment, stepping closer to her. As he pulled it out of his pocket to give it to her, she put a hand up to stop him, "Zuko, no."

She turned around completely, undoing the tie that held her cloak closed. It fluttered open suddenly, the gust of wind catching Zuko unguard, what lied beneath caught him even more.

A betrothal necklace. And a beautiful one at that. It wasn't her grandmother's, there was a distinct arrow down the middle of the intricate design.

"Wha.." Zuko was stunned, "What?"

"I know why you asked me to come here." She said, "I want to accept your proposal and I can't imagine the kind of struggles you've had to get through to get here, but you have to understand my position. I do care about Aang, alot. We're going to change the world and I want to be by his side."

"Am I not changing the world?" Zuko snapped, "Did I not pull back my father's troops, go on peace mission with Aang, invite nation leaders into the palace for peace talks? Have I not done my share?"

"You have! Stop acting like a child about it." Katara shook her head, "Aang and I were destined to be and I cannot change that."

Zuko stood there, gripping his pendant tightly. No doubt he appeared fiercely selfish right now. The word 'destined' swirled around in his head like a pig-viper that came back to haunt him, "What do you know about destiny?"

Katara gasped, "Well, I…"

"Exactly! Nothing! Whereas I have fought with my destiny and sought it out; I didn't just let it be shoved in my face!"

"That might be so." She replied, tensing up, "But this is a completely different situation. You were on the wrong path, a path of destruction. I'm on a path to better the world."

"As am I! What makes the Avatar's path so much more righteous than mine?"

Katara shook her head, "I can't talk to you like this."

"Then don't talk to me at all!" He threw the pendant down. Turning on his heel, the Fire Lord was gone into the night; with only the flustered flutter of his cloak signally his departure.

Katara knelt down to pick up Zuko's betrothal necklace. It was warm; his anger had gotten the best of him. The little charm was jagged on some edges. Had he attempted to carve it with firebending? Or by his own hands? The swirls and waves of her grandmother's betrothal were mimicked here, but in a different formation, and at the bottom was etched a small flame, colored in with some kind of red paint. She held it to her heart, "What do I know about destiny…?"

END: Jewelry


	4. 60: Guilt

60.- Guilt

(From Katara's POV, post-TSR, pre-comet)

"You make one step backward, one slip up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore, because I'll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there. Permanently."

Katara shuddered as she remembered those words. They resonated like a drear bell in her and she couldn't imagine the kind of fear she set into Zuko. As she walked towards his tent, she thought about how much help he'd been in helping her find the man that killed her mother. He'd done so much for her in one day, when all she'd done was mistrust and misunderstand him. Even if she'd forgiven him for what he'd done in the past, what about those words?

They never talked about it after she'd let bygones be bygones, but the guilt was weighing down. How do you fight alongside someone who says such things?

Finally at his tent, Katara felt a strange shiver go up her arms, like a warning of sorts. Brushing that aside, the waterbender pushed the flaps of his tent aside and entered, "Zuko, I-"

She was taken aback by the scene. Zuko had thrashed about at some point in his sleep and was now laying, half-naked and spread-eagle, over half his pallete and the floor. She'd never paid much mind to it before, but the firebender before her was… attractive. More than attractive, even. A blush burned bright on her cheeks and she moved to step out, when his gold eyes snapped open and focused on her.

"Katara?" came his raspy, tired voice. He sat up, abs bunching together as he slouched on the floor, "What are you doing here?"

Wildy, she thought of making up an excuse, but the only ones that came up were very… lame. He looked up at her, focused eyes going in and out of a sleepy droop. Katara shuddered, wanting very much to run, but knowing he'd only come after her… and there was a thrill in that, "Er… I wanted to come by and… uh… apologize."

Zuko perked an eyebrow, then put his arms over his head to stretch as he spoke, "Apologize for what?" The muscles strained; Katara couldn't take her eyes off him, "Why don't you come sit down?"

She scooted closer, her feet never really coming more than three and a half feet away. Zuko kept giving her a look of 'why so scared?', "Well, uh… what I said back in the Air Temple…"

"Oh, that?" He relaxed and laid back down on his side, head propped up by his left arm, "Don't worry about it. I think I'd say the same thing if I were in your position. I know what I did and I know it was terrible. And then at Ba Sing Se? I can't even believe it, and I was there! I was so… so wrapped up in wanting to appease my father and getting my honor back that I… forgot about the one person who came to care about me."

Those gold eyes locked on Katara's blue ones, which widen in surprise. He sat back up and leaned towards her, "I shouldn't have hurt you, betrayed your trust. In truth… I thought so hard about choosing you- er-… your side. And when I thought about it, I saw you and how you offered to help me."

He leaned in closer, Katara too stunned by his words to move, "I don't think I could ever thank you enough for this…"

His lips brushed hers. Her thoughts raced. Dear spirits, his lips were so soft and inviting. She shuddered again as his hand touched her cheek, tempting her to move closer. She slowly closed her eyes, felt an invisible force push her forward…

"Katara?" the waterbender jumped, spooking Zuko. Sokka was calling for her. She struggled to her feet and started for the tent flap with no hesitation until she reached it. Stopping with a hand on tent fabric, she looked over her shoulder at him.

"And I don't think I could ever thank you enough…"

END: Guilt


End file.
